John James Audubon, 1785 - 1851
Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America
New York : J.J. Audubon, 1845-6
599.097 A91v1
The special collections division has the large format "elephant folio" issue of the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, with 150 lithgraphs. The text was co-authored and edited by his friend the Rev. John Bachman. John withdrew from the project when 100 of the 150 folio plates were finished, and the first volume of text was ready. His son John painted the larger quadrupeds; John Sr. concentrated on the smaller. Upon release, the work received worldwide acclaim. In 1858, miniature sets of the Quadrupeds, as well as his work Birds of America, were presented by the U.S. government as gifts to the governments of 100 countries.
"a brilliant artist and observant naturalist, Audubon created images so breathtakingly alive,
that, more than 160 years after his death, the name Audubon remains synonymous with
nature's magnificence." David Morris Lank
Audobon
Audubon, the famous natural history illustrator, is perhaps best known for his gorgeous and detailed images of birds, published in the multivolume works Birds of America.
John James Audubon had an interesting life. His interest in natural history, the gathering of material, and indeed his success, was made possible by the support of his wife Lucy, nicknamed Minnie. After travelling back and forth between England and the United States he and his family settled in what he named "Minnie's Land", now in New York city limits in what is called Audubon Park.
John was born in Haiti on April 26, 1785. His father, Jean Audubon, was a French navy commander. His mother, a French Creole named Jeanne Rabin, died when he was 6 months old. He was educated in France from age four, and from an early age showed an interest in drawing birds; his father recognized his artistic talents and sent him to study with Jean Jacques David, where he attempted the standard art-school training of drawing from life casts. At seventeen he was sent to a farm in Philadelphia where he hunted, fished, collected and drew specimens of natural history. His house became a veritable museum of stuffed animals and birds' eggs. He was known to be an excellent marksman, and something of a dandy who cultivated the "American woodsman" image. At age 21 he met Lucy Bakewell and they married in 1806.
He was not fortunate with his finances and business endeavours. He went into partnership in Louisville, KY. with a friend, Ferdinand Rosier, which dissolved in 1812, mainly because John preferred to spend more time in the woods looking for birds to draw than paying attention to business. A second business venture, with his brother-in-law in New Orleans, also failed. The inheritance received by his father, which Audubon placed in trust with a friend, was lost.
At first, John's income came from giving drawing lessons and by drawing portraits in Louisville and Cincinnati. Lucy encouraged her husband's talents and took a position as a governess to support the family. In 1824 he met Charles Lucien Bonaparte who suggested that he publish his work. In 1826, he sailed to England and had an exhibition of his drawings, the merits of which were soon recognized by European naturalists.
Lucy Audubon survived her husband by 23 years. She wrote a biography of him, using in part his personal diary, which was published in New York in 1868.
Audubon was a fellow of the Linnean and Zoological Societies, London; the Wernerian Society, Edinburgh; the Lyceum of Natural History, New York, and an Honourary Member of the Society of Natural History, Manchester; the Royal Scottish Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
